The Adventures of Batman & Robin (video game)

This article is written from the Real World perspective

The Adventures of Batman & Robin
Information
Based on:	Batman: The Animated Series
Developer:	Konami (SNES version); Clockwork Tortoise (Genesis and Sega CD versions); Novotrade (Game Gear version)
Publisher:	Konami (Nintendo version), Sega (Sega versions)
Released:	1994
Genre:	Action
Platforms:	Super NES, Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Game Gear
Media:	16-megabit Cartridge

There are several releases of the video game The Adventures of Batman and Robin for some of the different consoles in the market. The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega Mega CD versions were published by Sega while the Super NES one was published by Konami. All of these games are based on popular DC Comics characters Batman and Robin and specifically the hit animated series Batman: The Animated Series (which had been renamed The Adventures of Batman and Robin at the time of the game's production).

Super NES version

The SNES version is developed and published by Konami. The action takes Batman to an amusement park and other places where super-criminals do their nasty work. Nintendo Power criticized the game for not giving Robin a more active role (the game was actually under development before the series was retitled). Otherwise, he supplies Batman with his moral support. Despite this, the game was well received by fans citing the faithful rendition of not only the characters and settings but also the music of the actual animated series.

Characters

Most of the major villains from the animated series appear. The following major villains appear in the game as bosses (each with their own level):

X = Appear only in the last level The Gauntlet Y = Appear as a level boss and in the last level

• The Joker Y
• The Penguin Y
• Catwoman Y
• The Riddler
• Two-Face
• Poison Ivy
• Scarecrow Y
• Clayface X
• Man-Bat X

In addition to the above villains the only other major villain from the series to appear is Harley Quinn. However her two very brief appearances are cameos at best as she only has a couple of lines of dialogue.

In addition to Robin several other supporting characters appear in the game:

• Alfred Pennyworth
• Summer Gleeson
• James Gordon
• Barbara Gordon

It should be noted though that unlike Robin none of the other characters make significant appearances. Summer Gleeson only appears on the Batcomputer when there is a news item (usually at the beginning of each level), Alfred has a portrait accompanied with dialogue during the Batcave scenes at the beginning of each level and password and game over screens. Both Commissioner Gordon and Barbara Gordon appear in a later level in cameos. Barbara Gordon is never shown as Batgirl in the game.

Gameplay

For the most part, is an action-adventure platformer in which the player only controls Batman, and follows him to the end of each stage, where a villain is set to appear. However, the style and design of the stages themselves are different between each other, which gives notable diversity to the game.

Some of the more common features in the game is the possibility to equip with different gadgets, such as bombs, x-ray lenses and so on. Some of the gadgets are in some cases essential to complete some stage. There is also the possibility of returning to the Batcave in order to re-equip the gadgets and restart an entire stage with all the lives the players has accumulated to that point (in case the player had lost lives).

The game features passwords, which leaves the player in the last played stage. The passwords also takes count of the numbers of lives remaining and the continues used. These cannot be obtained in the Hard difficulty, which means that the game must be completed from the beginning.

Trivia

Most of the levels in the game are actually based on a number of episodes in the animated series as follows:

Level 1: Amused to Death

• This level is actually based on two different episodes. Many elements of the funhouse part of the level are based on the Christmas With the Joker episode (like the giant toy soldier and the Joker turrets). The roller coaster part is heavily based on the episode Be A Clown.

Level 2: No Green Peace

• Like the first level, this level is again based on two different episodes. The first part of the level (in the forests) uses elements and characters from the Eternal Youth episode. The second part of the level uses elements and settings from the Pretty Poison episode.

Level 3: Fowl Play

• The only real standout part of this level is the final boss which could be seen as being based on the Blind as a Bat episode.

Level 4: Tale of the Cat

• Again, like the previous level, there is no real standout part of this level. However, chasing Catwoman, the main point of this level, was primarily the main focus of the first episode of the two-parter The Cat and the Claw.

Level 5: Trouble in Transit

• This is the first level in the game where no parts of it seemed to be based on a particular episode (especially a Two-Face one).

Level 6: Perchance to Scream

• The first level in the game that is solely based on a particular episode, Nothing to Fear. Although the name of the level references Perchance to Dream.

Level 7: Riddle Me This

• The first part of this level is heavily based on the If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? episode whereas the second part is heavily based on the What Is Reality? episode.

Level 8: The Gauntlet

• Like level 5, no elements of this are based on a particular episode (Except where you fight Man-Bat looks similar to the construction site seen in the first episode "On Leather Wings"). This level is just there to fight most of the enemies again with the addition of two new ones as described above. Joker's jetpack, however, was used in Mask of the Phantasm.

Mega Drive/Genesis version

Sega Genesis version

The Genesis version, published by Sega, is a run 'n' gun where both Batman and Robin must stop Mr. Freeze, who plans to freeze Gotham City. In order to keep the duo busy, he also frees The Joker, Mad Hatter and Two-Face, each one with their own agenda.

The game can be played by two players simultaneously, one player with Batman and the other one with Robin. Both characters are identical in terms of playability, and both uses batarangs in long-range attacks, while they use melee attacks in short range.

There are four levels, each one consisting of a straight left-to-right transverse to the end where the boss awaits. In some levels the game switches to a Side-scrolling video game shoot 'em up, in which the players must control Batwings.

The game is regarded as being extremely difficult to complete, and also known for pushing the Genesis to its limits in special effects.

Mega Drive version

Bosses

Level One: Happy Birthday to Me!

• Harley's Robot
• Harley Quinn
• Joker

Level Two: A Two-Sided Story

• Two Face's airship
• Large airship
• Two Face

Level Three: Tea Time!

• Giant Cat
• Giant Doll
• Mad Hatter

Level Four: Snow in July?

• Mr. Freeze

Sega Mega CD version

Instruction booklet for the Sega CD game

The Sega CD version consists of Batmobile chase screens. Between levels, the story advances through animated scenes that were created specifically for the game. The animated segments were developed by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, which also did some of the episodes of the original cartoon. Kevin Conroy (Batman), Loren Lester (Robin), Bob Hastings (James Gordon), Robert Costanzo (Harvey Bullock), Diane Pershing (Poison Ivy), John Glover (Riddler), Arleen Sorkin (Harley Quinn), Mark Hamill (The Joker), John Vernon (Rupert Thorne) and Ron Perlman (Clayface) all reprised their roles from the animated series.

Lost episode

The animated segments in the video game for the Sega CD are sometimes referred to as a "lost episode" of the series. These segments are meant to be interspersed between gameplay elements of an early-1990s video game and as such, the sound, color and story are not of the same quality of the actual television program.

Game Gear version

Game Gear version

The Game Gear version was developed by Novotrade and published by Sega. The Joker has assembled a gang of old Batman foes and kidnapped Robin, and the Batman has to go save him. There are four different levels, each with 2 or 3 stages, where Batman runs around beating up thugs and jumping between platforms before taking on a boss. Each stage ends with a boss encounter - some generic machine or thug in the early stages, and a classic Batman villain at the final stage of the level. The four levels takes Batman through a theater where he takes on the Mad Hatter, a frozen office building where he takes on Mr. Freeze, a graveyard where he takes on the Scarecrow, and finally an amusement park where he takes on Harley and the Joker.

Batman typically fights with projectile attacks - he has an unlimited supply of batarangs, but can pick up other weapons with limited ammunition in small item boxes along the way. They're all more powerful than the batarangs. Once Batman gets close to an enemy, he will switch to melee attacks, which deal more damage than the projectiles. Batman can make several types of jumps, both upwards and sideways. Pressing the jump button twice does a double jump. Batman starts out with 9 extra lives, and instantly respawns where he died after losing one, with a full health bar, all ammunition intact, and all inflicted damage and defeated enemies accounted for. There are also multiple extra lives and life bar refill items spread around on the stages. The game has infinite continues and a password system, allowing the player to start over from any previously reached stage.